Academic career Although Goff had intended to go straight to the
Bar after graduation, these plans changed shortly after his examination results were released.
Keith Murray, the
Rector of
Lincoln College, Oxford, telephoned him to invite him to a meeting. Goff had continued drafting the textbook after leaving academia for the Commercial Bar. At the time, work for junior barristers was limited, and so he spent considerable time working on the book at the Inner Temple library. During this period, Maudsley spent long stretches of time in the United States, and did not respond to Goff's communications. Goff wrote to Maudsley once again, but upon not receiving a reply, concluded that Maudsley "was signing off and didn't feel able to tell me". Goff would later describe Jones as "the ideal co-author" and "beyond doubt, one of the finest teachers in the common law world". Upon its release, the book was quickly recognised as a significant work, and was largely favourably reviewed.
Lord Denning reflected positively on it, calling it "a creative work" and comparing it to
Sir Frederick Pollock's treatise on torts and the seminal textbook ''Anson's Law of Contract''.
Edmund Davies, then a judge of the
High Court of Justice, described it as "admirable". The book's propositions caused some confusion in academic circles. Not knowing where it fitted, a university library classified it as Criminal Law, and a library of one of the Inns of Court refused to take the book in at all. Goff submitted the textbook to the
University of Oxford for the consideration of a higher degree, and he was awarded a
Doctor of Civil Law in 1971. After this, his practice grew significantly. and
The Brimnes. His choice of junior was Brian Davenport, a close friend whom he described as "exceptionally gifted", but who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties.
Judicial career In 1974, Goff was appointed
Recorder of the
Crown Court. Over those 12 years, he participated in over 300 cases at the House of Lords and 160 cases at the Privy Council. Upon his appointment to the House of Lords, he was appalled to find poor library and research facilities available, and wrote a paper to the House of Lords authorities, arguing for the provision of a better equipped library for the Law Lords' use. In
Spiliada Maritime Corp v Cansulex Ltd in 1986, Goff used elevated language, describing jurists as “pilgrims with [judges] on the endless road to unattainable perfection”. In 1987, Goff wrote an article titled
Judge, Jurist and Legislature, in which he detailed his views on the roles of these players in the legal system. In 1999, he said that he did not know how far he had succeeded in promoting an appropriate recognition of academia's contribution to the development of English law, but that, if he had, "that alone will give me great satisfaction." and lectures given by then
President of the Supreme Court David Neuberger and Lord Justice of Appeal
Jack Beatson. Goff was a strong believer in the common law as a legal system. This came with a preference for the common law's characteristic incremental development of the law by judges, Nevertheless, he supported the work of the
Law Commission enthusiastically. nevertheless described it as "probably the most important
dictum in the modern law of restitution". Over the course of his judicial career, he presided over a number of other key cases, including:
Leading cases of national significance •
BP Exploration Co (Libya) Ltd v Hunt (No 2) This case caught national attention as part of the litigation flowing from
Libya's nationalisation of its oilfields. Two years after
BP had purchased a half-share of the
Sarir oilfield from
Nelson Bunker Hunt, Libya nationalised it. BP claimed that the contract had been frustrated, which would entitle it to compensation under the
Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943. The legal historian
John Baker described the case as legally complex, "involving such vast fortunes that millions of dollars turned upon every nuance of meaning in the 1943 Act". Goff presided over the case in the High Court, holding that the contract had been frustrated and that BP was entitled to damages. Notably, Goff wrote the
headnote himself, setting a precedent in law reporting. He also reworked parts of
Goff and Jones on the Law of Unjust Enrichment to accommodate the judgment. •
Airedale NHS Trust v Bland Anthony Bland was a 17-year-old Liverpool supporter who had travelled with two friends to
Hillsborough Stadium for an
FA Cup semi-final between
Liverpool and
Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989. A fatal
human crush occurred, causing Bland serious injury and leaving him in a
persistent vegetative state. Goff issued a legal ruling allowing doctors to withdraw his treatment at the request of his family, since there had been no sign of improvement in his condition, there was no reasonable possibility that he would ever emerge from his persistent vegetative state, and was unlikely to survive more than five years. The case provoked significant public discussion over the moral, social and ethical issues of withdrawing life support from an insensate patient. •
The Spycatcher case In 1985, former spy
Peter Wright attempted to publish
Spycatcher, a memoir detailing his work in British intelligence, in violation of the
Official Secrets Act 1911. Following the
Government of the United Kingdom's attempts to ban it, it saw a dramatic increase in popularity, selling nearly two million copies worldwide by October 1988. The case in the House of Lords raised important questions relating to the law on breach of confidence, public policy and freedom of expression. •
Hunter v Canary Wharf Ltd Several hundred people filed a claim against the builders of the skyscraper
One Canada Square in the
tort of private nuisance, because it interfered with their television signal. The court held, controversially, that the plaintiffs did not have a legal right to television signal. •
Re Pinochet (No. 3) A Spanish court requested the extradition of the former president of Chile,
Augusto Pinochet, who was accused of murder, torture and conspiracy to murder. Although Goff had retired by the time this case was heard, he returned on an ad-hoc basis to hear it. The case gained attention because of its implications for the law on immunities and extradition. •
Attorney General v Blake This case concerned the
MI5 double agent George Blake. Following his escape from prison and flight to the Soviet Union, he wrote a book about his experiences and work in British intelligence, which was published by
Jonathan Cape. The government sought to force the publishers to give up all earnings from the sale of the book, arguing that it had harmed the public interest and that the author and publisher should not be allowed to profit from it. Goff joined the majority opinion, ruling in favour of the government.
Leading cases of legal importance •
Barclays Bank Ltd v W J Simms, Son and Cooke (Southern) Ltd •
Collins v Wilcock •
Spiliada Maritime Corp v Cansulex Ltd •
Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale v Lee Kui Jak •
Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd •
Cambridge Water Co Ltd v Eastern Counties Leather plc •
Henderson v Merrett Syndicates Ltd •
White v Jones •
Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale v Islington LBC •
Hunter v Canary Wharf Ltd •
Kleinwort Benson Ltd v Lincoln CC == Public service and engagement ==